Disastrous Secrets
by Tonks' Time-Turner
Summary: What happens when more than one secret isn't revealed? It makes a very lonely girl determined to find out who she really is at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry!
1. Prologue

Notes: Hello, hello, hello! I have decided to create another story in-progress. For those of you following my other story line, I'm afraid to say that I have lied!! Yes, I will not be making a one-shot, but another chapter story! Frankly, I just got this idea, researched a lot, and decided to make it happen. So, I hope you enjoy this, it's quite a weird sort of Prologue, but I hope you all like it!

Disclaimer- Everything belongs to Rowling. Sadly, I'm just an amateur.

~**Prologue**

* * *

Mistakes are encouraged by many families, the Bennett Family were no exception to that rule. To many parents who put their faith in the 'learning from one's mistake after one has experienced that mistake' policy, Lora Bennett could not help but feel that those specific people have been misled! Including her parents! How can one possibly learn from their mistake, if and when they're in the middle of said blunder, when no one has taught them the supposed lesson to get out of the _said hypothetical misinterpretation?_

And indeed, it is a nasty situation to be in if a twelve year old girl was wandering the streets of Soho, London in the dead of night, with no chaperone or help, while being tailed by three drunk men, who were now wolf-whistling. Oh and there is the fact that the said girl doesn't have a_ bloody hypothetical resolution to this said hypothetical misapplication because of the damn policy and its misconception to all families who believe in it!!!_

_So evidently, there has been a miscalculation. _Lora thought irritably. Quickening her pace and turning corners to try and lose the drunken trio, but they also managed to find her by her shadow that was produced from the eccentric looking night lights that flashed nonstop. Oh, yes, they did a fantastic job cleaning up London, since it still contains the many bars and night clubs in a neighborhood that was _deemed_ safe to all age groups. _How did I get myself into this nightmare in the first place? Oh yeah, from my supposed friends._

"_Lora! Come on Lora, we want to show you something." She felt her heart thumping rapidly as Thomas's voice was heard. Looking out her window, she saw the brown haired Thomas, and his twin sister Tammy beside him, beckoning her forward. Nodding reluctantly, as to not seem like a coward, she jumped from her first story window and followed the two through the streets of Soho._

_After walking for hours, Lora couldn't help but feel suspicious. They have already passed neighborhoods that Lora's mother would deem 'inappropriate' or 'not for children's eyes'. In fact, they had walked past one door with a sign saying, 'Large Chest For Sale.' which certainly appalled Lora. But then again, her _friends_ knew where they were going. Her _friends_ would never put her in any danger. She could trust her _friends.

"_Are we going to St James's Park?" Lora asked as the surroundings were becoming familiar to her. Tammy nodded as Thomas suddenly gripped Lora's hand, forcing her to blush._

"_We saw something interesting in the water today, you'll never believe what it is. It's absolutely brilliant! Wait a second, you were supposed to be with us today. We waited for you at the park, I asked your mum, and she said you were busy."_

"_Er. . ." Truthfully, Lora had actually hidden away in her room, practicing a sort of. . . Well, she doesn't exactly know what it is, but she calls it the Gift. Where she has learned to levitate things and have bats suddenly appear out of nowhere. It was quite scary, and exciting, but she never dared tell the twins, there were some things she just couldn't tell them. "Stomachache." She replied with a forced smile._

_Accepting her answer, Thomas pulled her forward, leading her through the deserted park. At night though, the full moon was casting long and dark shadows. It made her feel uncomfortable at how the darkness seemed to engulf them. If she hadn't known that it already was a starry, moonlit, July night; Lora could probably assume that it was a fleeting, chilling night of October. Getting a prickly feeling on the back of her neck, Lora tightened her grip on Thomas's hand. _

_Oh what she'd give to be on Dean Street, looking over the house numbers, where Karl Mark had lived and was creating _The Communist Manifesto_. Which would make her possibly ponder about what gave him the ideas to create an effective, yet looked down upon government system. Or perhaps she could be on Frith Street, gazing at a plaque that claimed Mozart had lived there for a few years. Lora always found it possible to hear mystical, soothing songs fill her ears, that, no doubt, came from the early inspiration of the prodigy. Or maybe she could be looking over Soho Square, where Paul McCartney's office resided; possibly going over the drastic culture changes that he and John Lennon had brought to America!_

_Needless to say, Lora would much rather be in any of those places, imagining the ideas that led to the creation of such wonderful masterpieces, than looking at this supposed thing in the water. But once they finally arrived at the river's edge, Lora couldn't help but feel uneasy being so close to the water._

"_Come on, we have to climb this tree to see it!" Tammy whispered excitedly. Once the three were firmly secured on the pine, Thomas began pointing to the depths below them. _

"_It was here, shimmering and a bit scaly, and it was huge! At first we thought it must have been a fish, but we thought we saw arms and-"_

"_Fish don't have arms!" Screeched Lora disappointedly. Her gaze traveling beyond the pine, were those people by the benches?_

"_I know that! But, it was definitely not a fish. Oh no," Thomas's gaze rested on the new company. "Come on, we better leave, we can come back another time." Replied Thomas, now ending a rather pointless journey, to now hopefully return home and get away from the people that they were close to. But when Lora tried to get down, the branch beneath her let out a loud _Snap_, resulting in her tumbling to the depths of the dark waters. "Lora!" Thomas's distressed call was the last thing she heard. _

_Splashing and kicking furiously, Lora had become entangled within her own clothes. Oh, why hadn't she told them that she couldn't swim? Oh, that's right, she had been under the delusion that they would laugh at her! Twisting and turning, Lora had no way of knowing what was up or down or right or wrong. What was it she had read about in subjects of water related accidents [that, ironically, more car accidents resulted in people drowning, than by people drowning of their own accord]? Wait till the car was filled with water. . . Unbuckle and open the nearest door, seeing how the water pressure would be the same. . . And follow the bubbles, That's it!! The bubbles go up! Twisting around once more, she saw the bubbles floating upwards, she kicked her legs and was closer to the surface, but no where near close enough, and air was now timely precious. _

_Trying to reach up to grab any sort of weed, she felt something push her from behind. It was forceful and propelled her to the surface with ease. Disoriented and gasping for air, she reached the shore, looking back at what had pushed her. But all she saw was the moonlight reflecting off of something shiny. But there was no time to investigate._

"_Thomas!! Tammy! Thomas?" Her wails for help ended in a sort of desperation and pity. They were gone, and she was alone. Feeling fury rise up within her, she closed her eyes and wished she could go back to her house, anywhere near her house, anywhere at all. . . Opening them, she found herself on the doorstep, under the uninviting and ludicrous sign that beckoned drunk men. Only finding out that as she looked up, wet and cold from her unintended night swim, three drunk men were smiling a ways away from her-_

"LET GO OF ME! I AM NOT A PROSTITUTE!"

Lora screamed at one of the men, who had succeeded in taking a hold of her wrist, forcing her out of her thoughts as she decided to face the _mistake_ at hand. _Of course idiot. I've been leaving a trail of water, that's how they keep finding me._

The men chuckled, and the one holding her replied through a heavy haze of alcohol. "Good, my money won't be wasted tonight." The other two roared with raucous laughter, Lora went rigid with fear and anger.

"I told you to let go!" _Bang! _The man flew backwards and hit a building wall, Lora ran, and ran, and ran for God knows how long. She closed her eyes, and wished to be safe again, safe with her books, safe with her filled out journals of notes and theories, safe with her most precious keepsakes. Opening her eyes, she found herself locked away in her room, her home.

Falling onto her bed, exhaustion took her, and so did the impending dread of brutish nightmares that would feed off her every fear, desire, and need.

* * *

It was so close; the migraine trickling, annoyance flickering, and the ignorance commencing that was produced by every new year.

Even settling down to review the expected poor papers in the rather dismal sitting room, that brought back oh, so many fond memories; Severus Snape could not help but taste the bitter cruelty that laced his mouth. While marking similar T's to two potion's essays that belonged to a pair of insufferable Weasley's, Snape glanced down at the attendance sheet that was barely visible under the stacks of inadequate papers that were still left ungraded.

Another task from Dumbledore, no doubt. A yearly routine where every professor [with the exception of the newest teacher, _of course_] had to pick a muggle-born, or a witch or wizard in the muggle realm, to explain to them their magical properties, and how they have been accepted to Hogwarts. While the post owl didn't always achieve necessary functions, given that some muggle-borns would conclude that the letter is not at all believable, formal in-person greetings would have to suffice.

And it was only customary for the _Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher_ to not give his willing assistance in this work for Hogwarts! For the _Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher _must be troubled with added 'work', uncertainty, and the fact that he'd be watched all the time by Dumbledore. Yes, _Quirrell_, must have shown Dumbledore his past bravery, and undying gratitude that he has to possess in order to be acquainted with this job! Oh, how could Severus Snape, youngest potion's master, double agent, expert Occlumens and Legilimens, the most bloody self-sacrificing Slytherin ever, and Dumbledore's most loyal right-hand man; oh yes, how could Severus Snape ever consider competing with the likes of Quirinus Quirrell? But it doesn't matter, nobody questions Albus Dumbledore and his actions! Never; _damn you Quirrell._

Trailing down along the list of expected first years, Snape would have been pleased to have an excuse to show up at Lucius Malfoy's door. But, with his arrogance and boastful pure-blood status, Snape could conclude that he would have already told Draco of the magic he possessed. His eyes stopped on another name, which he gave an involuntary twitch at, _Harry James Potter. _But to Snape's relief, and possibly disappointment, Hagrid had decided to be the one to recognize the boy's limelight. Scrolling down, he stopped at another name, staring at it for several seconds, he got out parchment and a quill and wrote a quick letter to Dumbledore. Only writing to confirm the child he had decided to visit, Dumbledore would be pleased.

_Dumbledore,_

_I intend to go to Soho tomorrow. A certain quarrel needs to be smoothed out. New explanations and fictitious truths will be told to the child, with your permission of course. I also intend on making sure that the crucial element is safely secure once it reaches Hogwarts._

_Snape_

While watching the owl soar off into the inky sky, Snape went back to grading papers. But his eyes kept darting back to the attendance sheet, which now had a circle around one name. _Lora Phoebe Rince_ was the name that was circled, also known as a very unforgiving mistake in the endless circle of lies.

* * *

Notes: Hello, again. Well, after you read it, you can see which parts are I had fun writing. I think you can guess that I favored the words, 'said', 'supposed', 'hypothetical', and 'mis-interpretation, -application, -conception, and -calculation'! Yes, I had fun at those parts. I think the descriptiveness was a bit thick though, that's why I'm debating whether or not to remain in third person for the rest of the story, or switch it to first person, I'm still deciding. I hope I portrayed Snape well, it took me two hours to be creative with interpreting his mind.

As I said up at the top, I did research a lot about Soho, London. Urban, entertainment center; there was and still is a lot of prostitution, thought I'd add that in. Also, I looked up the streets where famous people have lived on wikipedia, so if it's wrong, I'm sorry! I did the best I could! Also, I am a sucker for doing OC's, I love them! It's all about this mysterious person that you know nothing about, and that you'll have to just keep reading because the prologue was so damn good! Ha ha, just kidding. I'd like reviews, if that's fine. Keep writing and reading fellow FanFictioners!


	2. Hogwarts, Hogwarts, Hoggy Warty Hogwarts

Disclaimer: Nothing is mine, sigh.

* * *

_Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep! Be-!_

_-Crash!_

Were the pleasant noises that Lora woke up to. A great way to start everyone's morning; from the sense of loneliness, to horrid dreams, to obnoxious noises, it would make anyone sense that familiar warm fuzzy feeling inside telling them that today was going to be a great day.

Bullshit.

Lora pulled the covers over her head, refusing to believe that last night actually happened, and the dreams weren't much better. It consisted of her running for her life while a huge, scaly fish with giant human arms came chasing after her. It was so illogical, considering that the fish wasn't in water and that it had _arms!_ Then as usual, the dream changed to two people fighting, a man and a woman, bickering nonstop, while Lora was in the middle of it all. It ended up the same way, Lora gasping for air as the imaginary argument was left unresolved.

So, after replaying all these events through her head, Lora concluded that the only way she would get out of bed, was if the house was on fire. Agreeing with her stubbornness, she closed her eyes, hoping to stay between the state of dormancy and consciousness...

Lora's eyes flew open when she heard a faint, unrhythmic ticking noise. It was definitely not her alarm clock, which laid in a pile of debris near her night table.

_Tick! Tick! What the bloody...?_

Groaning at how her plan for the day has already been foiled, she threw off her blankets and decided to find the noise. Turning around in frustration, she found that someone was throwing pebbles at her window. _Thomas. _Her heart ached, she always admired his sense of adventure, and laid-back personality had always convinced Lora that she should be more like him. And he had always thought of ways to get out of sticky situations, his sapphire eyes would twinkle at the challenge; she and Tammy would both be laughing along with him. Lora had trusted Thomas, no, Lora had opened her feelings to him, and he left her. He left her in the water to drown, he left her to deal with the drunks, if she didn't had the Gift...

Fury grew in Lora; he had left her! Contorting her face in a sneer, with a flick of her hand, the blinds closed, he was no friend of hers. Hell, the fish with arms was more loyal to her than him, she had managed to get to shore somehow, with no help from her _friends!_

"AAUGH!" She screamed and stomped around her room. _How could I have been so stupid? Running around Soho with a dodgy pair of twins? You can't trust anyone here!_

_Ding Dong!_

_Of course, another noise! If that's Tammy I swear..._

Lora scowled at herself in the mirror, being disappointed with her appearance. Another mystery that has yet to be solved, another reminder of irritating complexities that she had been so observant as to notice. Her black hair hung down to her shoulder blades. Her small and thin appearance made her deepen the scowl she held; Lora didn't like how people assumed that she was younger than she really was, or very anorexic. She hated it when they thought how insignificant a little girl from Soho could be. Her long neck, as well as her face, gave a pearly glow from the pale complexion she had; she only stopped frowning when she looked at her eyes. A dull green murkiness was there, but then, this brought her back to the question of her mom and dad. They didn't have black hair or green eyes, or any combination in between. Lora's father had dark brown hair [Thomas's hair!] and brown eyes. While her mother had striking blonde hair and blue eyes [also Thomas's eyes!].

She scowled again and turned away from the mirror. Everything has a reason, everything has an answer, and as simple and unimportant as this puzzle was, it unnerved Lora. It was just like having her Gift, but that, she had no logical sense of.

_Scientific method my arse!_ There were just some things that couldn't be explained. Just like no one in Soho could explain the fact that a tall man appeared from nowhere, had walked over to the Bennett household wearing nothing but all black, and was now currently banging on the front door.

_Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!_

_For the love of... _"I'll get it!" Lora yelled. Storming down the stairs, her pink night gown flowing being her, adding yet another unpleasant musical note; _Stomp! Stomp! Stomp!_

Followed by the featured banging, Lora sighed and went over to the front door. "I'm coming, I'm coming." Opening the door, Lora was taken aback by the intense appearance of Severus Snape.

They stood in silence, one shocked, one observing, both evaluating options. _Oh my... A creeper is at my door, a drunk creeper is at my door. What do I do? Another situation that they don't write the answer to in books! I'm getting bloody sick of this._

Yet, looking at him once more, he seemed to be more dignified than the average creeper of Soho. With his hands behind his back, a tunnel of never ending nothingness held in his eyes, and a demanding outlook that etched itself in every single line on his face, it could only warn Lora that to stay this silent for this long with this… person, was a challenge that only the brave of heart would accept. Yet for a twelve year old girl who was still in deep emotional shock…

"Y-yes?"

As the silence was broken, a dawning realization came over the both of them…

For Lora, it was the fact that this man, whom she's never met, that radiated with such sorrow dominance, could effect her to the point of stuttering. She Lora, the one who grew up fighting the pedophiles in the streets of Soho, the one who challenged problems of her everyday life, the one who was able to acknowledge the fact that she had something special that she controlled through her fingertips without theorizing the fact that she could have a mental illness. And this person donned in black was able to make her self-conscious by the factor of a piercing gaze?

Well, Snape does seem pretty creepy in general, so... And Lora realized that she was wearing her PINK night gown that started to itch uncomfortably...

"I'm aware that the Bennett family resides here." Short and curt. Odd, he seemed to be humoring her by stating the obvious; she had thought that he would've been the type of person to start a conversation rather bluntly…

"And your relation to them is?" Yeah, like she was stupid enough to tell him that she was a part of the family, or let him into the house.

A rather annoyed look flickered across his face, where Lora noted the jerky movement of his hand near his pocket. "If it doesn't take up your most precious time…" Ah, here's the sarcasm. His greasy hair swayed slightly as his imposing stance increased tenfold, making Lora feel inferior. "I believe that this meeting is of great importance. Now, if you could please put your paranoia, extreme stubbornness, and petty accusations aside, this will run much more smoothly for the both of us." She glared at him, he was definitely not drunk, and if he was, he could hold down his liquor. So, there must have been a reason why he was here. He seemed too. . . smug to be a con artist, what was he doing here?

"Who are you?" Lora asked.

"Severus Snape, Defen-" his mouth gave an irksome twitch, "Potions Master and Head of Slytherin House. You're Lora Rince, current residence Soho London, top student in sixth grade, and a half-blood witch-"

_Say what!_

"My name is Bennett, and I'm not a witch!"

_You twit! You just told him who you are! What the hell is a Slytherin?_

Her eyes widened at what she has done. By her own stubbornness, she told him. That slime, the cunning slime he was.

His lips curved up fiendishly as his eyes glinted victoriously. The game was over, he knew who she was, and he could get his way. "Lora, honey, is someone at the door?" Ugh, her mother.

"Yes mum, this man thinks he has a meeting with you. May I please tell him he is somewhat delusional and escort him out?"

"Wait, Professor Snape? Let him in Lora! We need to talk with him. Why didn't you tell me he was at the door? My humblest apologies Professor, I didn't know you would be arriving so early! I presume you came to talk about enlisting Lora into your school?"

He held a satisfying smile when she said 'your school'. "Your assumption is correct."

"Well, don't just stand there Lora, open the door! I'm going to get your father, Lora, go make some tea for our guest!"

Grumbling, Lora walked into the kitchen and started looking for a kettle, while her mother continued.

"Wilfred, get in here! I'm terribly sorry Professor. Things have been quite hectic lately."

"If I came at a bad time, we could reschedule, Ms. Bennett."

"Oh, no no, this is fine, and please, call me Janet," her mother, such a charmer.

It started out like that, introductions, polite comments, Lora's father finally deciding to attend, then the purpose of the meeting finally came. At this point, Lora was pressing her ear to the door as the kettle bubbled noiselessly.

"I'm afraid I don't understand this school quite well, Professor, I have never heard of it before."

"It is a school that pertains to talents that Lora possesses. It would be very common for her to go."

"Is there a fee?" Asked her father.

"No, no, but money, certain money, is needed to pay for her schoolbooks, robes, and other necessities required for Hogwarts. I'll assume that Lora was adopted, was she not?"

Janet lowered her voice, which surprised Lora, her mother was everything but quiet. "How did you know that? We treat her as our daughter nonetheless, but, what does this have to do with this school?"

_I was adopted?_

"You see, Mr. and Mrs. Bennett, Lora contains a certain talent that differs from other muggles such as yourself and others. Lora was born with a gift of sorcery, she is destined to go to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Your adopted daughter is first, and foremost, a witch."

A whistle, a scream, a clang, and a splash were the events that followed Snape's statement. Falling to her knees on the kitchen floor, Lora clutched her right arm protectively. The touch from the hot kettle and boiling water was enough to sustain a heavy burn. Preventing the tears from roll down her cheeks, she slid away from the water trying to flatten itself onto the floor. The stinging didn't cease, it would be logical to run the burn over cold water, but Lora couldn't seem to do anything but sit there.

"Lora, is everything alright?" The three adults followed in suit as they crowed around her in the kitchen. Lora didn't like enclosed and crowded places, where everyone could see her mistakes.

"The whistle startled me, and my arm slammed down on the stove, knocking over the kettle. That's why there is water everywhere." She said simply, not wanting to show how much pain she was in. She covered her arm with her other one, refusing to even look at the damages.

"Lora, there isn't any water," said Wilfred.

"What, of course there is, I was just making-" Lora stopped, her eyes widened to see the floor completely dry as the kettle laid there with a dent in it's side.

"May I see your wound?" asked Professor Snape. Lora sensed him coming over to her, the last thing she wanted to do was expose a wound to someone she didn't know. Who would do that? Grudgingly, Lora uncovered her right arm, showing off what should have been a second degree burn, but in fact, absolutely nothing was there. Stunning everyone except for Snape, he nodded stiffly and stood at his full height.

"I see, come, there are some things you all must know."

Lora's shoes clicked on the stone paved street, her eyes transfixed on the road ahead of her. The swishing of other cloaks could be heard, but she refused to look up to confirm that theory. Last week's events kept replaying through her mind, it was no doubt the most horrid week she had ever experienced.

"_Why didn't you ever tell me I was adopted? You lied to me for all these years!"_

"_We've only thought of your well being, you are our daughter, even if you are..."_

"_A bloody freak? How do I even know if you're telling me the truth, you haven't been doing that lately!"_

"_Lora, calm down, your delirious!"_

"_Delirious am I? If you'd taken even the slightest notice of me, it wouldn't have been such a surprise to learn that I'm a witch. Even my stupid friends have been noticing some mental things that I've been doing! But you've never noticed now have you?"_

"_That isn't true and you know that perfectly well, and don't say such things about your friends!"_

"_You're not my mum, you can't tell me anything, apparently!"_

"What did you say this place was called... sir?" Lora asked.

"Diagon Alley. Everything you need is in here," said Snape; he pulled out an envelope and handed it to Lora. Lora took it, while being able to sidestep a wizard she would have bumped into. She stared at the front of it for some time, looking over and over at the written words;

_Lora P Rince_

Finally deciding to open it, she quickly read over a familiar briefing about being accepted to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The next page consisted of all the things she would need for the next year.

"Where am I supposed to get all of these-sir?" Lora still wasn't use to adding on a sir or professor, especially since the first time she met Snape she had thought he was a creeper.

"You'll find everything in various stores and departments, and here-" he stopped, pulling out a leather sack that was weighed down with Galleons, Sickles and Knuts. "You remember me briefing you on wizarding currency, correct? This will get you through the year to come and will help supply for the rest of your first year. If you need to make another withdraw, the Gringotts Wizarding Bank is right over there," Snape pointed to a heavily guarded building. Lora sighed, remembering all of this will be a challenge, accepting it will be even harder. "Just stay away from Knockturn Alley, unless you desire to have a most tragic and unpleasant end. Now, do you require anymore assistance with requiring your necessities?"

"Er.. no. But I have a few questions."

"A few, or question after question that needs to be answered because you have thought of a reason to ask at this very moment from your utter confusion?" said Snape, clasping his hands behind his back and raising one eyebrow. He was a very sardonic man. Lora gritted her teeth.

"A few."

"Very well."

"You told me that their were muggleborns who came from muggle descent but are still witches and wizards. If I'm a muggleborn, how do I come to have an account in Gringotts?" _Bet you weren't expecting that clever response now where you, you git! _Snape frowned, but was soon replaced with a slight smile.

"Well, if you have the ability to make such an imploring and obvious question, you, no doubt, have some kind of probable answer to it?"

"So, my parents were wizards?"

"Correct, next question." _He really doesn't like pointless conversation, or having to explain anything._

"How am I supposed to get to Platform nine and three quarters at King Cross, when there is no such Platform?"

"If you could refrain from being such a know it all, you will know, by now, that everything is not what it seems. Only a week ago you found out you were a witch and adopted. I'm going to guess you will pick up important habits as time goes on. Now, if that is all, I will be on my way." He turned and intended to leave until Lora spoke again once more.

"Just one more thing. Will you be able to change my transcript? I'm not a Bennett anymore, my name is Rince, or so I've been told. I understand it says on my letter Rince, but to clear up any confusion..."

"Well reasoned, I will make a note to change that immediately. Now, go on, get you things!" And with that, along with a slight pop, Severus Snape, was gone.

_I need to learn how to do that._

"Now, all I need is a wand..." Lora muttered, while carrying all of her books, robes, kits, and an owl. Lora couldn't help it, this particular owl immediately made her fall in love. She decided to name him Orion, after the hunter. His big brown eyes were beautiful and held a type of instantaneous affection that Lora couldn't help but think that she just had to have him. And if anyone happened to be looking down at Orion's head and back, one would think that he was a white owl. But, seeing him soar through the sky above, anyone would clearly see that on the other side of his wings, his belly, and chest, that he had black feathers. Hearing the creak and slight ding of Ollivander's door, and a _hoot_to go along with it, the old, frazzled wand keeper couldn't help but look up.

"Ah, another witch off to Hogwarts I see, come in, come in. I'm Mr. Ollivander, wandlore studier and helped to make the most finest wands in Britain since 382 B.C. Now, may I ask, who are you?" He snapped his fingers and a tape measure popped out of nowhere and began taking Lora's measurements. Lora set down her things and, grudgingly obliged.

"Um, Lora Ben- Rince. Lora Rince. Did you say since 382 B.C.?" Either Ollivander worded his sentence incorrectly, saying he has been working with wands since that time, or he is one insane man.

"Yes, yes. Wands have been around for that long. Lora Rince you say? Are you a muggleborn? I've never heard of a Rince coming into my shop before." He said quizzically, his pale moon eyes glinting as he looked over Lora. "Odd, you look familiar..."

"Er.. no, I've never been here before, and my parents were wizards..." Lora explained, trying to change the subject.

"Oh, _were_..." Ollivander commented, an expression of awkwardness passed his face as the tape measure began measuring the distance between Lora's ears. "Oh, never mind. Come here, you're right handed, yes?" She nodded and took a step forward towards him, feeling a bit scared.

"Now, I assume you don't know much about wandlore, no one but Wandmakers ever do. Wands have magical cores in order to be a wand. I use three types, dragon heartstring, unicorn hair, and phoenix feather. Along with various types of woods to go with it. Every wand is completely different, and the wand always chooses the wizard, understand?" Lora nodded again, coming to the conclusion that this man was absolutely deranged.

"Hmm, hawthorn, seven and a half inches, phoenix feather and springy, try this." He handed her a wand, gripping it, Lora was dumbfounded at what to do next. "Well, give it a swish!"

Waving it, Ollivander then snatched it away from Lora. "No, no, try this one, vine, ten inches, unicorn hair, and rather supple." Another wave, absolutely nothing. "No, try this one..." It went on like that for a while, wands were being thrown everywhere. Lora was starting to have second thoughts about everything. How could she be a witch if she couldn't even find the right wand?

"Ah, how about this one. A bit peculiar. Reed. Eleven inches. Dragon heartstring, and precise."

Holding her breath, she waved once more to have an explosion of blue sparks come out of the tip of the wand. Smiling, she looked up at Ollivander, finally relieved.

"I knew it, thought it would be the right one for you. Very different. You see, my dear, this particular heartstring came from a Hungarian Horntail."

"Is that bad?"

"Not bad, just different. For you see, this is a very precise wand, the Hungarian Horntail is a very random and destructive creature. The most fiercest of dragons. But, the type of wood, Reed, is it's natural opposite. In Wandlore, it symbolizes hearth, protection and spirituality. Everything the Horntail isn't. Together, they are in perfect balance. This wand was made for you."

_How in the world am I supposed to find Platform nine and three-quarters when there is no such rubbish!_

Pushing her cart with all of her might, Lora continued to roll along King's Cross with an air of frustration.

_Seven... Eight... Nine... Ten... Nine... Ten. Gah!_

Stopping her cart, Lora pulled out her ticket, again, it read Platform 9 3/4.

"What am I going to do, Orion?" Lora asked, trying to find the answer in his big brown eyes but was unable to find one. Looking around at other passerby's, Lora couldn't help but feel foolish.

"Hello, are you trying to find Platform nine and three-quarters as well?" Lora spun around to see a stout boy with brown eyes just like Orion's. He donned black robes and a cart just like hers. He also had an owl, but it was a tan barn owl with black eyes.

"Are you going to Hogwarts too?" She whispered, not knowing how to talk about wizards around other muggles. He smiled and started to push his cart, Lora did the same.

"Yep, first year, just like you, I reckon'. My mum told me that I'd have to go straight through the platform to get to the Hogwarts Express."

"Is that even possible?"

"Don't know, anything can happen when your a wizard. My parents had to leave early, wizarding work and all. I don't think it'll be that hard to find it, come on." Reluctantly, she followed the boy, his air of confidence was quite reassuring. They both stopped when seeing a red-haired boy go straight through the brick wall between Platforms nine and ten. A young red headed girl and her mother followed the boy.

"Blimey, that's just barking!" The blond said. "I'll go first, it looks like fun!"

Fun, _fun_? Not to mention that it defies all laws of physics, and that one could potentially injure themselves. "Er, how about together?" Lora suggested, giving a nervous smile. He shrugged as they both lined up their carts.

"On the count of three. One...-" began Lora.

"-Three!"

Running towards the brick wall, Lora closed her eyes as she and the other boy were going to face a collision... But it never came, opening her eyes her mouth dropped to see the imposing Hogwarts Express in front of them.

"Wow, just spectacular. Oh, I'm Ernest by the way. Ernest MacMillan, but you can call me Ernie."

"Lora. Lora Rince."

"Ugh, I've got Merlin again. Who did you get, Lora?" Turning over her Chocolate Frog Card again and again, Lora couldn't help but be amazed at the simplistic wizard candy card.

"I didn't know Circe was real! She turned men into beasts whenever they irritated her. But that's in Greek Mythology."

"I don't think I have her, you wanna swap?" Ernie asked.

"Excuse me, but all of the other compartments are taken, can we join?" Said a blonde haired girl followed by a lanky boy.

"Sure," both Ernie and Lora said.

"I'm Hannah Abbott, and this is Justin Finch-Fletchley. Hey, I remember you!" Hannah pointed to Lora, and Lora jumped unexpectedly. "I remember seeing you at Diagon Alley! You were with Professor Snape." Lora nodded uncomfortably, she didn't like being reminded of that.

"Wait, Snape, as in Severus Snape? He's a professor here? Oh, great, just great." Ernie muttered.

"Well, he isn't a very nice man, but what else is wrong with him?" Lora asked.

"My folks like to talk about the old days a lot, saying that it's better to go to Hogwarts now than then. It was all about You-Know-Who, and everyone was dying. Well, I overheard my parents talking one night, deciding whether I should go to Hogwarts or not. You see, Snape use to be a Death Eater. A follower of You-Know-Who." Ernie finished, leaving a stunned silence in the air.

"But, if he use to be a Death Eater, then why is he a teacher at Hogwarts?"

"Dumbledore claimed for years that he wasn't one. He would defend him to the death. Usually, whatever Dumbledore's decision is, is usually the best one to go by. But still, it doesn't surprise me that Snape is head of Slytherin house."

"Abbott, Hannah!"

"HUFFLEPUFF!"

Lora clapped along with Justin and Ernie. Glad that her new friend was sorted in a reasonable house. Well, with what the sorting hat had already said; _You might belong in Hufflepuff, Where they are just and loyal, Those patient Hufflepuffs are true and unafraid of toil._

"Boot, Terry!"

"RAVENCLAW!"

_Or yet in wise old Ravenclaw, If you've a ready mind, Where those of wit and learning, Will always find their kind._

"A bit scary isn't it? Just a sorting is all," Ernie smiled nervously. Lora and Justin looked back at him, not convinced that Ernie wasn't as equally terrified as they were. Sure, it was just a sorting. What if you didn't fit in any of the qualities?

"Brown, Lavender!"

"GRYFFINDOR!"

_You might belong in Gryffindor, Where dwell the brave of heart, Their daring, nerve, and chivalry, Set Gryffindors apart._

"Come on you lot, get in order! Make the sorting faster!" yelled a Prefect from behind. The three of them sighed, it would have been nice to stay with friends in a heart-thumping situation, but it didn't look as if it was going to be that way.

"You!" a Prefect in green robes pointed to Lora. "What's your name?"

"Lora Rince."

"Oh joy, you're next to Potter, come on!" Being pulled from her robe collar, Lora was thrown beside a boy with green eyes and glasses. Basically knocking him over, they both fell to the ground.

"Stupid Slytherin!" Yelled the red-haired boy from before.

"I'm sorry! Oh here," Lora said, finding the boy's glasses on the ground, she snatched them and handed them back to him. "You might need these... I'm Lora, sorry for knocking you over."

"Thanks, it's fine. I'm Harry Potter."

"Pleased to meet you. My, that's a nasty scar you've got there, what happened?" Harry looked at her wide-eyed, but seemed pleasantly relaxed by Lora's almost natural response.

"Long story," Harry finished. Lora turned to see the same red haired boy wide eyed and with his mouth dangling open in what appeared to be shock. She looked away.

"Bulstrode, Millicent!"

"SLYTHERIN!"

_Or perhaps in Slytherin, You'll make your real friends, Those cunning folk use any means, To achieve their ends._

_What does that mean?_

Trying to calm down her breathing, Lora went over her options, like she always did. Hufflepuffs were true, patient, and loyal. Lora was anything but patient, and she didn't like the concept of having to work. Ravenclaws were ready to learn. Lora was definitely up to any challenge that involved learning something new, but finding their own kind, what did that mean? Gryffindors were brave and have nerve. Was Lora brave? Did last week's accident show her daring? No, she never wanted to go to St. James Park in the first place. Slytherins, well, after finding out that Snape had to deal with them, Lora wanted to stay away from that bunch.

"Finch-Fletchley, Justin!"

"HUFFLEPUFF!"

Lora clapped again, happy now that two of her friends are in the same house together.

"MacMillan, Ernie!"

"HUFFLEPUFF!"

Lora's decision was made, she wanted to be a Hufflepuff. She didn't stop clapping till Draco Malfoy became a Slytherin.

"Potter, Harry!"

"GRYFFINDOR!"

Lora was next.

"Rince, Lora!"

Stepping up to the stool and putting on the dusty old hat, it immediately slipped over her eyes. It talked! The hat was talking to her. Speaking silently and slowly, it's words wrapped around her mind. _"Ah,"_ the hat began, _"another fresh mind."_

_"One that can be molded and morphed? No one's changing my mind thank you very much,"_ Lora thought, which the hat responded by laughing.

_"Haha, and a quick tongue too! My dear, Hogwarts doesn't brainwash you, it's helps you with self control."_

_"Yeah, right. Being sorted into houses with stereotypes doesn't already set you up for a specific mind set."_

_"Well, I'll give you that. I do, although, promote inter-house unity, but traditions do tend to get in the way of more important matters. Speaking of which, deciding what house you'll be in is one of them."_

_"Hufflepuff would be nice,"_ chimed Lora.

_"Would you really be happy there? Or do you want to skirt around the 'making new friends' situation and fall back on peer pressure? And loyalty doesn't suit you, you tend to hold grudges, deary."_

_"Excuse me? I do not hold grudges! And besides, I've made dozens of friends in the past; however, it's not my fault that I was forced to leave them behind in the muggle world."_

_"Hmm, are you talking about the ones that stabbed you in the back?" What the hell?_

_"How did you-?"_ started Lora.

_"-Anyway, back to which house you'll be sorted in, how about Gryffindor?"_

_"Is that a good place to be in?"_

_"Houses aren't good or bad, it's what you make yourself in them. Well, you've certainly got nerve, but I think you heart lies elsewhere..."_

_"Hufflepuff?"_ Lora asked one more.

_"What about Slytherin? Your bound to gain friends better than the ones you had at home. You're also just as quick thinking as one."_

_"But, er.. I'm not a pureblood!"_ Lora hoped the hat bought the lame excuse.

_"Not every Slytherin is a pureblood. Honestly, for one who can recognize stereotypes, you certainly have a knack for believing in assumptions made by others."_

_"Blame my demographic,"_ said Lora, wishing that her session with the hat would end soon.

_"Come, come, don't be bitter. You may not realize it now, but your experiences will help you learn concepts a book could never teach you. Your questions will unlock answers that you will praise and regret, and your mind will understand so much that many never could. You already can comprehend things that your peers aren't able to do. But, with that much knowledge will come consequences and responsibility you cannot yet fathom. It all depends on what you want to do."_

Lora sat in silence and digested all the hat told her. She would usually weigh all the pros and cons before making a decision like this. But, something told her logic wouldn't help her in this situation. What did her gut say?

_"I want to learn."_

"RAVENCLAW!"

Sighing in relief, she left the hat on the stool and nearly ran to the table of jumping blue robes.

"Is he mental or what?" asked Lora while walking to the Ravenclaw common room with two second year girls, Marietta and Cho.

"Well, Dumbledore seems a bit, well, mad at first, but he is a great headmaster." Cho said reassuringly

_If he really is mad, that would explain the reason why he let Snape teach at Hogwarts..._

"We're here. Now, the Ravenclaw room is very different from all of the others, why? Because you are Ravenclaws! And you're wit and intelligence will be challenged by the Bronze Eagle over there," The Prefect pointed to the Eagle knocker. "Now, instead of having a password, like the other three houses do, you will be asked a logic question. If you get it right, good for you! If you get it wrong, then you must wait for someone else to get it right in order to get in, that way you learn. It is always tradition for the first years to figure out the first question of the year. So, go on!"

The bronze eagle opened its mouth; "If a Bowtruckle's home has fallen in the middle of the forest, and if there is no one there to hear it, does it make a sound?" Lora found this incredibly easy, even if she didn't know what a bowtruckle was, it was similar to the tree logic puzzle. Many first years began screaming 'Yes!' or 'I don't care! I'm tired!', but after everyone settled down, the eagle gave her answer.

"Incorrect."

"Aww!"

"No," said Lora, walking up to the statue.

"Please explain," replied the eagle.

"If no one was there to hear the Bowtruckle's home fall, then that means that there is not enough evidence to support that it ever made a sound in the first place, since there were no witnesses. So it must be no, it never made a documented sound." Silence fell as everyone waited for the eagle's answer.

"Well thought out, enter."

_And welcome to Hogwarts..._

**~Notes**

Oh my god! I finally continued this. Two months, yes I know, I've been so busy. And it's also really long, I'm sorry about that too. You see, I want my character to g through all seven years, which means I'm going to make sure that their are two to three posts per year she is in, that's why it's so long now. I'm also sorry if this post isn't as interesting as the other one. I have ideas, I just have to wait...

So, Lora is in Ravenclaw, a nice change from Gryffindor, come on, we all saw it coming. And her middle name, Phoebe, means intelligence. And she has to have an owl, owls are fricken' awesome. And what was up with her wand, hmmm? I totally lucked out, I checked that whole Celtic tree calender, and I found the type of wood, that coincides with her birthday [which won't be revealed till later on] and that describes what she wants. It's a really cool website, check it out I hope to write as soon as possible, keep writing and reading fellow FanFictioners!


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